TL;DR: Learn to code and get Microsoft Visual Studio Pro 2022 for just $55.97 (MSRP $1,999.00) — deal ends June 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT. If you’re serious about launching or advancing your tech career, this bundle pairs industry-standard tools with learning. Microsoft Visual Studio Professional with premium learn to code certification courses taught by industry leaders for just $55.97. This programming bundle is for anyone looking to gain in-demand skills while using the same development environment trusted by professionals worldwide. Here’s what’s included Microsoft Visual Studio Pro 2022: A full-featured 64-bit IDE for building apps across platforms with .NET, C++, and more. Built-in tools like IntelliCode and Live Share speed up collaboration and debugging. Learn to Code Bundle: 14 courses covering Python, JavaScript, SQL, Flutter, machine learning with OpenAI, and more. Whether you want to build apps, analyze data, or explore AI, this bundle covers it. Why is it worth it Build a versatile skill set for roles like software developer, full-stack engineer, or AI specialist Use the same IDE as industry pros for real-world readiness Develop a tech portfolio that shows off your skills Get the Microsoft Visual Studio Pro 2022 + Learn to Code Bundle for just $55.97 through June 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022 + The Premium Learn to Code Certification BundleSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Potaka said caulerpa’s impact was `disastrous and catastrophic` on beaches and the health of the whenua, and clearly impacted the wairua of the environment. Read...

A lot of people still have weak security practices, especially for their passwords. They’re reusing them, relying on easily cracked ones, or are unaware of current recommended guidelines. Their reasons for not using a password manager are usually understandable, too. But they’re still wrong. Passwords are similar to the locks on the front door of a house. And when you live in a city (the internet is definitely that crowded), everyone throws on at least one lock. But choose the doorknob’s lock, and it takes but a minute for an experienced burglar to get past it. You want a deadbolt at a minimum, and in higher traffic or rougher neighborhoods, you might have a thicker door (or even an iron gate before your door), sturdier hinges, and longer screws for your deadbolt strike plate. And yet, you don’t have to rely solely on keys to deal with your door locks. These days you can tailor your safety setup to make life easier and still more secure—e.g., using PIN pads, Bluetooth readers, and other methods to gain entry. Password managers are the same. You can choose one that works for you, whatever your needs or concerns—you don’t need to rearrange your life for it. Don’t believe me? Watch as I dismantle the top six reasons people don’t use a password manager lickety-split. Already using a password manager? Here are 10 ways to make the most of it. Reason 1: I have my own system and it works fine Your passwords are hopefully not this weak, but a homebrew system still can’t beat out a password manager.Shutterstock A lot of folks still believe using numbers and symbols in place of letters or riffing off of a base password is sufficient protection. The sad news is that those strategies aren’t strong enough anymore and haven’t been for a while. My colleague Mark Hachman explains how easy it can be to crack a password—and extrapolate patterns and habits to make cracking future passwords even easier. In other words, it’s becoming easier and easier to pick the lock on a digital door. You can gamble on never getting hit with an account takeover attempt, but you’re going to lose that bet sooner rather than later. Data breaches are only increasing in frequency (and scope), with potential fallout also increasing as vital services move further online. And even if you are generating your own long passphrases or even randomized passwords, keeping track of them will either be less protected than in a password manager (a spreadsheet with an innocuous name isn’t secure, alas) or slip your memory at some point. Reason 2: It takes too much time You can set up a password manager to automatically fill in your login info, as well as generate and save passwords. It’s much faster than manual input. (Shown here: iCloud Keychain on an iPhone.)PCWorld Not true! Typing out your login info takes longer than having your password manager pop up and autofill the credentials for you. So while it may seem like it’s slowing down your process to use one, it’s not.  As for setting up the password manager—some require no work to make them part of your routine. The ones built into Google, Apple, and Microsoft’s ecosystems (heck, even into browsers like Firefox) tie in with your existing account and offer automated password management across devices. Even third-party password managers are pretty seamless if you can spare a few minutes to sign up and then install a browser extension and mobile app. You might have to also tweak a system setting or two to ensure full integration into your flow, but it’s fast if you do. Once that’s complete, the experience is nearly as effortless as with first-party password managers—and you get more robust features. Oh, and entering all your passwords into the manager doesn’t have to happen all at once, either. It’s ideal, but if you take care of the sensitive accounts (and upgrade the quality of your passwords for them too!), you can then gradually add more credentials as you log into those accounts. Reason 3: It costs too much Bitwarden, our top pick for free password managers, offers a ton of features. You don’t have to spend any money in order to have good security.PCWorld You don’t have to spend a single cent for a good password manager. OUr favorite paid password manager Dashlane Read our review Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane Yes, paid password managers do often get recommended, but that’s because of their extra useful features—not their level of protection. A paid service will offer a wider range of two-factor authentication options (like hardware authentication keys or the ability in the password manager to generate software-based tokens), easier password sharing, family plans with group access to passwords, special travel-oriented features, and more. For not much cash, you get a tangible quality of life improvement. But a good free password manager will store all of your login info securely and also easily generate long, random passwords for every website and app. And just like paid password managers, it will also recognize sites you visit and offer to automatically fill in your credentials, as well as support basic two-factor authentication.  The better free services also provide a way to share passwords securely, set an emergency access for trusted contacts, and can generate unique user names (not just passwords), email masks, and more. Reason 4: Having all my passwords in one place is dangerous You can use an app like Authy or Aegis to generate two-factor authentication tokens.PCWorld I hear you on this one. The idea that you would put all of your passwords in one place can seem like a direct contradiction with security. If someone breaks in, you could be in for a world of pain. But you can mitigate this concern with little difficulty. Your first line of defense: Choose a good master password and enable two-factor authentication. This is arguably the most important thing you can do to safeguard yourself. You can (and should) also protect your accounts by requiring a PIN, biometric authentication, or your master password for all installed browser extensions and apps. How you choose to store your passwords can minimize or eliminate this issue, too. For example, you can lean on KeePass as your manager, which gives you complete control over the file holding all your login info. Save it on a trusted PC or external drive (don’t forget to back it up!) and access to your passwords will remain limited. KeePass might not look like much, but it gets the job done while giving you complete control over your password database. You can also opt for one of its forks, like KeePassXC, for a more modern interface.PCWorld Or you can spread your passwords between different services and apps. Maybe you sign up for both Dashlane and Bitwarden, storing a mix of accounts in each. Alternatively, you could put your info for less valuable accounts in a cloud-based manager, while your high-value account info stays locked up tight in a KeePass file. Another riff on this idea: Split passwords themselves into different fragments and store them across different accounts. For all of these scenarios, you can have both browser extensions or apps installed on your devices for simultaneous use. These options are a little more complicated, but you’ll still be remembering no more than a couple of mega-strong passwords. And you’ll have a faster and stronger system than typing out passwords kept in your brain. Reason 5: Storing my passwords in the cloud seems risky You can approximate a DIY cloud-based password system if you choose KeePass and store its database with a cloud provider you trust. Or just keep the file offline for complete control—the choice is yours.Microsoft This is a fair concern. Even the most diligent company could have a vulnerability in their system. Bugs are an unfortunate but regular part of software development. But you still have options. As mentioned earlier, KeePass saves passwords to a local file, which lets you keep that data out of cloud-based storage. Or you can DIY your own cloud solution by uploading a KeePass vault file to a cloud storage provider you trust (one that has enough engineers to properly ward off hackers and have proper safeguards against rogue employees)—e.g., Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, or Google Drive. You can go with a hybrid system instead as well. Use an online password manager for medium- and lower-value accounts (places that have your address and billing info, but not more), while financial and other highly personal accounts are stored in a more tightly controlled environment. If you’ve been OK with using Ilovetarget.com as your password for shopping online at Target, this solution surely can’t be that objectionable. Reason 6: I’ll get stuck with a password manager I hate Nope, you can move at will. A standard practice for all reputable password managers is the ability to export your passwords. The better services allow you to export as an encrypted file, which minimizes the risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands. By the way, always choose the encrypted option, because a plain-text file of all your passwords is no bueno. (This one’s easy to lay to rest!) Good password managers will let you export your passwords in an encrypted format for easy and safe transfers. (Shown here: Bitwarden’s browser extension.) PCWorld Any (reputable) password manager is better than none This won’t be the last time I write about password managers, much less try to convince people to use them. But let me say, whenever you hear different arguments from tech journalists (even right here among the PCWorld staff!) about why paid password managers are better, or that browser-based password managers should be passed over—don’t let that confuse you. Or turn that into a reason to write off online security as too complicated. The reputable password manager that you use is the best one. Simple as that. I just want you all to be safe. Having to frantically recover an account or deal with identity theft is no one’s idea of a good time. Read...

28 April 2025 – Rakon Limited (NZX:RAK), a world-leading manufacturer of frequency control and timing solutions, today updates shareholders on FY2025 performance, the current business environment and the Chair’s retirement Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Remarkably full featured for a first-generation device Can be wired to analog or digital doorbell chimes Supports Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings Ecobee has one of the most affordable security plans that includes professional monitoring Cons No battery backup for power outages Subscription required to unlock entire feature set Doesn’t support Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video Ecobee’s home security ecosystem lacks an outdoor camera Our Verdict The Ecobee Smart Doorbell (wired) is a reliable, easy-to-use, high-end video doorbell. It depends on hardwired power, but it can trigger a homeowner’s existing chimes. As with many of its competitors, you’ll need to pay for a subscription to unlock all its features, but it can be incorporated into a robust home security system with professional monitoring at a very reasonable price. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today If you’re already using one of Ecobee’s smart home thermostats or security systems—or you’re thinking about installing one—you’ll want to consider the company’s first video doorbell. The Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera (wired) doesn’t just compete with category leaders Ring, Nest, and Arlo, it also brings a few smart ideas of its own—and it plays especially well within Ecobee’s larger smart home/home security ecosystem. There is no battery-powered version of this product, but its $160 price tag puts it in the sweet spot for high-end video doorbells. The unit records in 1080p resolution with HDR, capturing a tall (175 degrees vertical, 115 degrees horizontal) field of view with no fisheye distortion. That framing gives you a head-to-toe view of visitors and lets you see packages dropped flush against the door. The doorbell delivers a clear, bright image, day or night. The Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera can be integrated into a comprehensive, self-installed, professionally monitored home security system. The upside of being entirely reliant on hardwired power means no downtime when a battery needs to be recharged. On the other hand, you can’t install this doorbell unless you either already have the infrastructure in place or you’re willing to run wire to the location you want to install it. If you don’t want to do that yourself, Ecobee offers professional installation for a reasonable $150 (not including the power transformer, if needed). Specifications The Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera (wired) comes with everything you need to install it, including a wedge mount, extension wires at the doorbell end, an adapter at the chime/transformer end, wire nuts and screws. Ecobee The Ecobee Smart Doorbell boasts IP65 weatherization, which means it’ll stand up to dust, rain, and snow, which—as TechHive’s IP code decoder tells us—means it’s impervious to dust and that it can withstand water jets projected from any direction. What’s more, it can operate in temperatures from ranging from a frigid -13 degrees Fahrenheit to a broiling 113 F (-25 to 45 C). In other words, it’s built to last without the remove-recharge-reinstall routine a solely battery-powered doorbell requires. That said, a hybrid wired/battery solution would keep the camera operational during a power outage. Being a division of Generac, perhaps Ecobee would suggest homeowners invest in a backup generator to keep your home security system powered up. In any event, I’d been using a Ring Battery Doorbell connected to a Ring Alarm base station, and I never liked the synthesized electronic ring it delivered when a visitor rang. It was loud enough to be heard throughout the house, but I really preferred my old-school analog chimes, and the Ecobee made it possible to return those to use. Ring has other wired models that can do this as well, but the one I have doesn’t. Installation and setup The Ecobee Smart Doorbell (wired) fit in the narrow space next to my door, but I needed to use the provided extension wires to connect it to my existing transfomer.James Barber/Foundry The Ecobee Smart Doorbell can be installed flat, with its camera lens facing straight out, or attached to a wedge that angles its lens by 15 degrees to better capture a view of a person standing at your door. At my home, there’s a very narrow gap between the front door frame and the brick surrounding it. The Ring doorbell I’d been using wouldn’t fit in the space, and while the Ecobee and its wedge did fit, the angled camera stuck out so that my storm door wouldn’t fully close. I ended up removing the wedge and the reinstalling Ecobee’s doorbell, and it worked perfectly in that very cramped space. That wasn’t the end of my challenges, however; Ecobee’s app displayed a “low power” warning when I connected it to my existing doorbell transformer, so Ecobee recommended that I upgrade to a 24 Volt, 40 VA AC model. The low-power warning continued to show up for a few days after I upgraded the transformer, but it eventually disappeared. Despite the low-power warning, Ecobee’s doorbell operated as expected during my entire review period. I’ve since replaced the outlet the original transformer was plugged into because it showed some wear-and-tear. In retrospect, I suspect the old outlet was the true cause of the low-power warnings, and buying a new transformer was probably unnecessary. Ecobee’s chime adapter allowed me to connect its Smart Doorbell to my lovely old-school chime.James Barber/Foundry The wiring for the original doorbell button was cut to an exact length, so there was no extra wire tucked into the wall. That makes sense. An electrician in 1967 couldn’t have dreamed that a homeowner would want to replace a doorbell button with a magic camera more than 50 years down the road. Anyway, I needed to use the extension wires and wire nuts that Ecobee included in the box to make my connection. The cavity in the wall behind the doorbell was a bit tight with the extra wire and wire nuts stuffed inside, but everything worked as expected. Ecobee’s receiver unit can connect to your home’s previously installed doorbell chime. My mid-century chime box is built like a tank and has a wonderfully musical tone when the hammer strikes the tone bar. There’s no way I could buy a unit of this quality today at any price, and it’s a welcome contrast to all the other electronic sounds generated by the modern TV, audio, and smart home gear in my home. You can also configure the doorbell to ring a chime on an Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium or an Ecobee SmartCamera. Like Ecobee’s higher-end smart thermostats, the Ecobee Smart Doorbell sports a dual-band (2.4-/5GHz) Wi-Fi adapter. Performance Ecobee’s approach to visitor detection is another feature that differentiates this doorbell from the competition. The unit’s camera has a radar sensor that cuts down on false alerts. That means fewer notifications triggered by wind-blown leaves or passing cars. Smart Focus automatically pans and zooms to keep people centered in the frame, a feature that’s usually only seen on more expensive models. As with many video doorbells and security cameras, you’ll need a subscription to get the full value from an Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera. But even without a sub, Ecobee delivers more features than most manufacturers do when you don’t pay up, including person detection, two-way talk (between the doorbell and the Ecobee app on your smartphone or an Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium), live video viewing on your smartphone or that thermostat, and 30 days of video snapshots (not video clips) from a single Ecobee camera. Stepping up to Ecobee’s Smart Security Standard subscription ($5 per month or $50 per year) adds package detection, 30 days of video recordings, and rich push notifications (all three of those features are for a single Ecobee camera). You can also pair the doorbell camera with a Yale or August smart lock and gain the ability to lock and unlock those locks from within the Ecobee app, making it easy to open your door for a visitor you see on the camera. You’ll get a 30-day free trial to Ecobee Smart Security when you buy a Smart Doorbell Cam, but you’ll need to pay at least $5 per month after that to continue being able to store video recordings and receive smart alerts. James Barber The Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera can also be integrated into a comprehensive, self-installed, professionally monitored home security system in which the fabulous Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium serves as the central hub. Ecobee makes excellent door/window sensors ($80 for a 2-pack) and occupancy/temperature sensors ($100 for a 2-pack), and the indoor Ecobee SmartCamera is very good as well. Currently missing from Ecobee’s home security portfolio: an outdoor security camera—apart from this doorbell camera, that is. The top-tier Ecobee Complete subscription is one of the least expensive professional monitoring plans on the market at just $10 per month or $100 per year. You’ll also get 30 days of video storage for an unlimited number of Ecobee cameras and doorbell cameras. With professional monitoring, an agent can dispatch the police in the event of a break-in or the fire department if your Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium or Ecobee SmartCamera detects the sound of a smoke alarm sounding off. Ecobee’s top-tier plan is a rare bargain for that level of service. After a recent price increase, Ring charges at least $20 a month—$30 a month if you want to enable all the features of its Ring Alarm Pro security system. The Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera can be integrated with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings smart home ecosystems. When a visitor rings the doorbell, you’ll get an alert on your Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, or Google smart speaker. Unlike Ecobee’s SmartCamera, however, this doorbell camera does not support Apple’s excellent HomeKit Secure Video, which stores encrypted video recordings to an Apple user’s iCloud account. Should you buy the Ecobee Smart Doorbell (wired)? The Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera (wired) doesn’t capture 2K or 4K video like some competitors, but its image quality is solid, and the radar-assisted motion detection is ahead of the curve. The Ecobee app is easy to understand and its connections to the doorbell camera have proved reliable during my testing. Two-way communication with visitors at the door was clear with almost zero lag. The Ring doorbell I replaced touts is hi-res (1536 x 1536 pixels) resolution, but I haven’t noticed a significant downgrade in video quality with the Ecobee’s 1080p resolution. That seems more than adequate for this camera’s purposes, but some users may want a unit that offers a sharper image. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that in today’s smart home security environment, you generally need to pick an ecosystem and stay in it. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself juggling apps on your phone to get a complete picture of what’s going on. The good news for Ecobee is that its video doorbell, indoor camera, smart thermostat/home security hub, and its sensor suite are all excellent. The company even has a smart light switch. Add in its highly affordable professional monitoring service plan and you have a 95 percent winner. The remaining 5 percent deficit comes from Ecobee not having an outdoor security camera—or anything battery powered (apart from its sensors, that is). Read...

OPINION: We are facing the most challenging and dangerous strategic environment in decades with increasing threats to our national security interests. Read...

About two years after Sightful’s Spacetop first emerged as a sort of display-less virtual computer, Spacetop is ready for liftoff — this time as a subscription-based Windows app that runs on third-party hardware, including laptops with NPUs. What’s Spacetop? Using a pair of AR glasses from XReal, Sightful’s Spacetop AR platform surrounds you with a gigantic 100-inch virtual screen so that you can work on a virtual “multi-monitor” setup virtually anywhere. The primary appeal is to help you work in a cramped environment like a plane or a hotel room, where the virtual workspace offers you some of the advantages of a home office. In 2023, Sightful showed off the Spacetop, which was like a Chromebook without a display. Sightful now utilizes the xReal Air ultra 2 AR glasses in place of the previously tethered AR glasses. If you didn’t own multiple displays and a Thunderbolt dock, fine — the AR setup surrounded you with virtual displays. Today’s Spacetop Bundle makes some changes, though the concept remains the same. Instead of AR glasses that were essentially tethered to the computing solution, Sightful uses the XReal Air Ultra 2 AR glasses instead. The most significant change involves the computer: you’ll need a laptop with an NPU of some sort (a Copilot+ PC isn’t necessary, but a basic NPU like a Core Ultra 100 series is) to power the Spacetop app itself. Yes, Spacetop is now a subscription-based application that runs on top of Windows, and it’s $200 per year. The old Sightful Spacetop.Sightful The Xreal Air Ultra 2 AR glasses output at 1080p per eye, at up to 120 Hz, with three dimming levels so that you can essentially block out extraneous light. Custom lenses are available: prescription single-lens inserts cost $50, while prescription progressive lenses cost $150. Unfortunately, you can’t wear glasses with the Spacetop/XReal headset. This concept might sound a bit like Apple’s Vision Pro — but Spacetop’s AR glasses from Xreal weigh 83 grams, while Apple’s headset weighs up to 650 grams. That’s a neck cramp waiting to happen. Yes, it’s a hefty price: the $899 Spacetop Bundle includes the AR glasses and a year’s worth ($200) of the Spacetop subscription. But you’ll need to either buy or own your own laptop on top of that, too. Sightful has been selling preorders of the bundle for $950, with a two-year Spacetop subscription offering for $1,050. (The subscriptions renew at $200 per year.) Spacetop running on a Windows machine.Sightful Work on the road and in the air Spacetop aims to enable you to bring an office-like environment with you wherever you go, utilizing AR technology. We’ve heard this concept before: part of Meta’s ill-timed metaverse push around the Meta Quest Pro was a virtual workspace, where you were surrounded by virtual screens. It didn’t work, in part because the screens were simply too low-resolution to be useful, and the headset was too heavy. Likewise, Microsoft’s original HoloLens, which I loved, was paired with a Microsoft Mixed Reality headsets — which bombed — but included an ability to pin “screens” inside of a workspace that could remain persistent while you walked around. Spacetop combines elements of both. It not only allows you to move and pin applications on what the company calls a 100-inch virtual screen but also set up a “travel mode” where the screens move with you as you move around. All of that happens via the NPU. At CES 2025 in January, Sightful representatives informed me that the company shifted its strategy in 2024, following the introduction of the Copilot+ PC and the NPU in general. They also announced plans to launch the Spacetop later that year in May 2024. On the Spacetop’s laptop, the NPU simply offloads some of the functions that were previously assigned to the CPU and the GPU — it fits within the traditional role of the NPU, which is to perform some AI-specific tasks much more efficiently than elsewhere. The idea is that efficiency translates into longer battery life. Early customers also didn’t like that the first Sightful iterations were essentially Android phones, with no ability to run Windows apps. It’s not entirely clear whether you’ll be able to run Chrome, or Edge, or a browser with plugins, let alone take a Zoom call while your face is obscured by a headset. The question is, will such a specialty device take off? Spacetop’s launch seemed less certain a couple of years ago, essentially requiring a specialized device for plane use. But now it looks much more useful as just another Windows app combined with a laptop and AR glasses that you can store in your carry-on. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Excellent image quality in SDR and HDR Attractive yet functional design Thunderbolt 4 connectivity Many image quality modes and options Cons Just one Thunderbolt 4-in and two video inputs Limited downstream USB connectivity More expensive than other 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitors Our Verdict The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM delivers excellent OLED image quality and high refresh rates, though limited connectivity holds it back. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today There’s no shortage of 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitors available right now, and all of them are excellent for movies, games, and general use. But what about creative professionals? Though any QD-OLED can do the job, many such displays lack the design and feature set professional shoppers prefer. The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM fills that gap. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best 4K monitors for comparison. Asus ProArt PA32UCDM specs and features The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM’s spec sheet looks great, if a bit boring. It’s a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitor with 3840×2160 resolution, a 10-bit QD-OLED panel, and a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. It also supports Adaptive Sync and is VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black certified. These specifications are more or less identical to other 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitors, like the HP Omen Transcend 32 and MSI MPG 32URXW. Display size: 32-inch 16:9 aspect ratio Native resolution: 3840×2160 Panel type: 10-bit QD-OLED Refresh rate: 240Hz Adaptive sync: Yes, Adaptive Sync with VRR HDR: VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black Certified Ports: 1x Thunderbolt 4-in port, 1x Thunderbolt 4-out (for Daisy Chain), 1x HDMI 2.1 port, 1x USB-C with up to 96 watts of Power Delivery, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 Additional features: Ambient light sensor Audio: 2x 3-watt speakers Warranty: 3-year warranty Price: $1899.99 MSRP The ProArt stands apart thanks to its connectivity, though not entirely in a good way. It has a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, one for Thunderbolt 4-in and a second for Thunderbolt 4-out (to be used to daisy chain to a second monitor). This is rare for any monitor, and especially rare for OLED. The inclusion of Thunderbolt 4 hints at the monitor’s professional intent but, as I’ll discuss, also leads to the omission of ports many shoppers will expect. Asus ProArt PA32UCDM design The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM is part of the ProArt line-up, obviously, but it doesn’t look like the ProArt devices you’ve most likely laid eyes on before. It ditches the simple black and charcoal look of more affordable ProArt monitors for an elegant, stylish silver look. And it’s not just a look. The ProArt makes extensive use of metal across both the display panel and the stand. This helps the monitor offer a sleek profile while delivering a robust feel that very few competitors can match. Of all that I’ve tested recently, Samsung’s Odyssey OLED G8 is the only one that’s equally attractive. Matthew Smith / Foundry Looks aside, the monitor’s design is functional. The stand ergonomically adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and pivot. It also has an extremely narrow base, which minimizes the monitor’s footprint on a desk. As with most monitors, a 100mm x 100mm VESA mount is available for connecting the ProArt to third-party monitor arms and stands. The PA32UCDM monitor offers a sleek profile while delivering a robust feel that very few competitors can match. Asus ProArt PA32UCDM connectivity The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM leans heavily on Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C. Perhaps too heavily. First, about those Thunderbolt ports. There’s two, but they’re not equal. One is the primary Thunderbolt port with support for USB-C, DisplayPort, and Power Delivery. The second is a Thunderbolt-out port intended for daisy-chain connections to a second monitor. That means you can plug a laptop into the ProArt over Thunderbolt, then plug a second monitor into the ProArt. However, the ProArt otherwise doesn’t offer much opportunity to tap into Thunderbolt 4’s bandwidth. It has just two downstream USB ports (one USB-C and one USB-A) and lacks an Ethernet jack or audio-out connection. Though it can technically function as a Thunderbolt hub, the ProArt’s limited range of downstream connectivity is a big downside. Thunderbolt 4 aside, the monitor has just one additional display input: HDMI 2.1. Yes, that means DisplayPort is absent, and just two video inputs are available. I find that decision weird, as DisplayPort is the most universal video output for desktop video cards. In summary, connectivity is the ProArt’s most significant weakness, and one that I find surprising. I expect shoppers will compare the ProArt to other high-end 32-inch 4K displays, such as the Dell UltraSharp U3225QE and BenQ PD3226G. The Asus has far fewer ports than either. Even the HP Omen Transcend 32 has superior connectivity, and it’s hundreds of dollars less expensive. Asus ProArt PA32UCDM menus and features A joystick control tucked just behind the Asus ProArt PA32UCDM’s bottom bezel provides quick, responsive access to the on-screen controls. I also like the menu system. It’s easy to navigate and has a larger font size than many competitors. Alternatively, most monitor features can be changed with Asus’ DisplayWidget app, available for Windows 11/10 and MacOS. It’s no work of art, but it goes a bit beyond the bare necessities. For example, DisplayWidget automatically changes the look of the UI to match the branding of the Asus monitor you own.Either way, you’re likely to spend a bit more time in the menu than with other monitors, because the ProArt has a truckload of features. We’re talking 15 SDR presets (including sRGB, DCI-P3, AdobeRGB, BT.2020, DICOM, and Rec.709) plus five HDR modes (including Dolby Vision). You’ll also find color temperature and gamma adjustments that target precise values and six-axis color calibration. Asus has its own calibration software to help users fine-tune the monitor. Matthew Smith / Foundry Other monitor features include picture-by-picture and picture-in-picture modes, an on-screen ruler to help measure the size of objects on the screen, and a uniform brightness mode that limits the overall brightness of the display to achieve better luminance uniformity. The monitor has an ambient light sensor that serves two functions. First, it can sync the brightness and color temperature of the display to fit your environment, which helps the monitor provide a consistent image quality experience. Second, it can dim the display when you move away from it to save power and reduce the likelihood of OLED burn-in. I think ambient light sensors are an underrated feature that improve day-to-day ease of use, so I’m glad to see one here.  Speakers are included, too, though they don’t impress. The speakers provide enough volume to fill a small office with tunes, but the audio is thin and can become distorted when it attempts to deliver bass.  Asus ProArt PA32UCDM SDR image quality The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM is all about image quality. Yes, every monitor is better if it looks nice, but an expensive monitor like the ProArt must look amazing. If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t serve its purpose (or justify its price). Matthew Smith / Foundry We start off with brightness, where the ProArt reached an excellent peak SDR brightness of 294 nits. That’s not as high as IPS-LCD monitors, which can exceed 400 nits, but it’s very bright for SDR on an OLED monitor. It’s also far more than adequate for its intended purpose. A display like the ProArt is best used in a room with light control, in which case the brightness is relevant. But if you do like to work with your shades drawn back, well, the ProArt will look more vivid than most 32-inch QD-OLED displays. Note, though, that the ProArt has a glossy finish. You should expect to see reflections when viewing dark images in a brightly lit room. Matthew Smith / Foundry OLED panels can reach a minimum luminance of zero nits and can do so per-pixel. That translates to an incredible sense of depth and immersion, as well as deep and inky black levels in darker scenes. Moody movies and games, like Resident Evil 2 Remake or The Batman, look superb on an OLED display like the ProArt. All OLED displays do well here, so the ProArt has no advantage (or disadvantage) against QD-OLED alternatives. However, as the graph shows, it comes out way ahead of IPS-LCD displays like the Dell Ultrasharp U3225QE. Matthew Smith / Foundry Color gamut testing looks at the range of color a monitor can display. The ProArt does well here, with coverage of 100 percent of sRGB, 97 percent of DCI-P3, and 94 percent of AdobeRGB. This is a very broad color gamut that’s well suited to professional creative work, but it’s not remarkable for a monitor in this category. That feels almost bizarre to say, because a color gamut this wide was hard to come by just five years ago. But, as the graph shows, most high-end monitors sold in 2025 offer a very wide color gamut. Matthew Smith / Foundry The wide color gamut is supported by excellent color accuracy. Most OLEDs do rather well here, but the ProArt is at the top of its class. It provides an incredibly realistic, lifelike image on par with the best monitor sold today. Image accuracy is further supported by the ProArt’s gamma curve of 2.2. That’s right on target, and it means content viewed on the monitor looks just as bright as it should, preserving good detail in both bright highlights and shadows. The color temperature came in at 6400K, just a hair south of the target of 6500K. I found the variance hard to discern. Sharpness is good, as well, thanks to the monitor’s native resolution of 3840×2160. That works out to be about 143 pixels per inch (ppi) across the 31.5-inch panel. By comparison, a typical 27-inch 4K monitor packs 163 pixels per inch, while a 27-inch 1080p monitor has just 81 pixels per inch. Overall, the Asus ProArt PA32UCDM’s SDR image quality doesn’t disappoint. Although it’s like other QD-OLED monitors, it does have several small advantages when compared to other, less expensive displays. The ProArt’s out-of-box color is more accurate than usual, its gamma and color temperature results are close to ideal, and it provides a broad range of image quality adjustments for further calibration. These advantages won’t matter much when watching YouTube or playing PC games, but they make the ProArt a superior pick for those who want an OLED display for creative work like digital art, photography, and video editing. Asus ProArt PA32UCDM HDR image quality The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM is VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black certified, which is the level of certification most QD-OLED monitors achieve. However, it can become rather bright when small portions of the display are lit. Matthew Smith / Foundry I measured a maximum sustained brightness of 896 nits in a 10 percent window, meaning 10 percent of the display’s area was lit. That’s a strong result, though, as the graph shows, it’s typical for the latest QD-OLED displays. In the real world, I was impressed by the ProArt HDR. It delivered bold, yet accurate color and provided eye-searing HDR highlights. OLED used to be quite noticeably behind Mini-LED in HDR, but the latest OLEDs have closed that gap (and the lack of good Mini-LED monitors doesn’t help that technology’s case). The ProArt also provides an unusually wide range of HDR presets, which include presets for HDR BT.2020 and HDR Dolby Vision, among others. These also provide several clipping modes which change how luminance is handled in HDR. Overall, the ProArt’s range of HDR adjustment is much wider than typical, and those who plan to work professionally with HDR content may need these modes to check the accuracy and consistency of HDR video and images. Asus ProArt PA32UCDM motion performance Although obviously not targeted at gamers, the Asus ProArt PA32UCDM can hit a refresh rate of up to 240Hz. It also has Adaptive Sync support. That means it should work with AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, and I was able to use FreeSync with the monitor connected to my AMD Radeon 7800 XT video card. However, this is not official, so it’s possible (though not very likely) you’ll run into edge cases where FreeSync or G-Sync don’t work as expected. Of course, a 240Hz refresh rate with Adaptive Sync helps the monitor provide great motion clarity, and the ProArt looks as crisp in motion as QD-OLED alternatives marketed towards gamers. That’s good news if you want one monitor that’s great for work and play. The improved refresh rate is also relevant for work. Fast-moving text and images remain legible, so it’s possible to read text when scrolling through a document or quickly identify an image while rapidly moving through previews or thumbnails. This benefit isn’t often discussed, but it’s a noticeable advantage over a 60Hz or even 120Hz competitor, like the Dell Ultrasharp U3225QE. It has a fan This is a minor point, but one worth knowing before you buy. The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM has a fan, and you will hear it if you’re using the monitor in a quiet room. It’s not very loud, and the fan noise wasn’t grating, but it was noticeable. Should you buy the Asus ProArt PA32UCDM? The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM is a great choice if you want a QD-OLED monitor for creative professional work. The PA32UCDM provides superb image quality, attractive yet functional design, and a wide range of image quality options. Unfortunately, the monitor could benefit from more connectivity (including more USB-A and a DisplayPort input). Competitors like the Dell UltraSharp U3225QE and BenQ PD3226G don’t match the PA32UCDM’s image quality, but they offer numerous extra ports. The ProArt’s lack of ports means some owners will still need a Thunderbolt or USB-C hub, which is a tall order, because the ProArt is already more expensive than its peers. That does limit the ProArt’s appeal. Unlike the Dell U3225QE, which is great for a broad range of white-collar office work and any home office setup, the ProArt is laser-focused on creative professionals, and especially those who want to work in HDR. If that’s you, though, the ProArt is a go-to pick. Read...

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A Solomon Islands foreign affairs official says the `Pacific needs predictability in all our cooperation with everyone` amid geostrategic shifts. Read...